The exhibition – Degas, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, van Gogh: Impressionism and Beyond – at Muceo dell’Ara Pacis exceeded expectations! The works were impeccably displayed to highlight the creations of these powerful masters. Most are acquainted with names like Picasso, Matisse, van Gogh, and Renoir, but the works of lesser-known artists – Kandinsky, Kokoschka, Rouault, Nold – were also beautiful!
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“Degas possessed a kindness of spirit and liveliness that arises from the awareness of a great strength directed in the right direction, and therefore deeply satisfying. There was his work, and when his eyes grew tired, there were conversations and endless walks through the streets of Paris.” Walter Sickert 1917
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Ironically, the fifty-two works on display – all created between the 1840s and early 20th century – are on loan from America’s Detroit Institute of Art. These major works were “acquired shortly after their creation and are seldom seen in Italy”.
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“Wassily Kandinsky’s Study for Painting in White Form (1913) represents a crucial moment in the birth of abstraction. By retaining recognizable elements, the artist translates the visible world into pure energy made of forms and colors. The year 1913 marked a decisive shift, painting could embody emotion and spirituality without representing reality.”
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“The exhibition traces a moment of decisive transformation in the history of modern art, from the first impressionist experiments to the avant-gardes of the post-war period. The first three galleries follow the evolution of French art. The fourth gallery focuses on German avant-garde movements before and after the First World War.”
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“Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet 1819 – 1877 was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the Romanticism of the previous generation of visual artists.”
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“German and Russian Expressionism should be understood as a moral and cultural awakening of the true nature of man and a political and social commitment. Essentially, Expressionism should be seen as a revolutionary movement, as a need to communicate with the masses.”
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I’ve attached several photos of favorites, including Picasso’s Woman Seated in an Armchair, van Gogh’s Vase with Carnations, and Pissarro’s The Path. Scenery along the walk to Muceo Dell’Ara was a work of art itself! Although it’s the dead of winter, Rome is still very beautiful, especially when accentuated by dramatic, stormy skies! We’ve had a few days of thunderstorms and unrelenting torrential downpours, but during the next week, we’re supposed to experience clearer, warmer weather...
So far, I haven’t encountered many Italians who speak English – including my landlord. Since my Italian is atrocious, there have been some challenging communication moments… As usual, Italian men – young and old – are flirtatious. One young waiter at a favorite pizzeria says he loves the US and wants to come home with me :o)…
I’ve booked city tours, day trips, and concerts up until my Rome departure on January 31st. Malta will be my second stop on this trip.
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“Between the mid-nineteenth century and the final impressionist Exhibition in 1886, French art crystalized around three key ideas: reality, modern life, and light.”
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Ciao for now!